When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens,
Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's
"Detroit Rock City,"
it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and
mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's
since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and
revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
Jeff: As a really
young kid I was way into the Beatles. One day I heard the song "Revolution
1" in my Mom's old WV Jetta. The groovy, fuzzed out guitar changed my
life. The sound was different than anything I had heard them play. My mom gave
me a cassette tape with that song on it and I wore that tape out. The same
thing happened when I heard The Stooges for the first time, I was probably 13.
It was so raw and imperfect and loud. I bought my first 4x12 cabinet a year or
so later.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What
comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
We usually start
with a Riff. We use that riff to drive a feeling or groove and build on that. A
bass line usually follows and then another guitar part or harmony or something.
We repeat this until we have several ideas to choose from and then try them in
different combinations, or change them to make them fit. Sometimes we throw
them away or decide to use them in other songs. Some songs take weeks to
finish, others take a day or two.
Who has influenced you the most?
Honestly, the
thing that has influenced Blind Scryer most - more than any of our favorite
classic artists or records - has been seeing what other bands do, or don't do
well. There are so many bands to watch and learn from. Horseburner, for
example, is about as professional as they come and they always seem to be
having a good time. As Blind Scryer has
grown we have tried to be observant of this.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new
motivation?
We are always
looking for new bands to listen to and gig with. It's great that there are so
many "festival" style events these days - it makes it easy to take in
a lot of new music and meet a ton of creative people in one go. It's also a
great feeling to discover an old record or song you've never heard that really
gets you going.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the
band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
Louisville, Kentucky
is an interesting place. It's a crossroads of sorts, from the north to south
but the southern influence is strong. We have a blend of people and culture
here that you probably wouldn't expect to find in KY. Great food scene, diverse
music scene...and Bourbon. Blind Scryer is certainly a blend of our musical
influences but there is a deep root in that bluesy southern rock.
Where'd the band name come from?
Our singer, Blair,
came up with it...which is good because we hard-passed on some the names the
rest of us thought of. It doesn’t have a particularly deep meaning,
but we thought it evoked cool imagery and was original enough that it wouldn’t
already be taken.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the
soundtrack for?
Blair: Mad Max!
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple
Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000
word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
Blair: Close to the Edge by Yes. This song was my first deep dive into the
band, which came fairly recently. Its
and amazing 20 minute songs with multiple movements and damn-near 1,000 words
to analyze. I think it would be easy and
interesting to delve into it and write an extended piece.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap,
rock and roll moments?
Blair: We played 3
shows in a row where the cops were called.
The first one was a house show with lots of kids. We stopped the set and I said “everybody be
cool”, which caused the kids to scatter.
The cops were actually pretty cool and let us play our last song. The last time this happened we were playing at
an outdoor venue and I opened my eyes to see an older gentleman screaming in my
face and waving his arms. We stopped
playing and he said “that’s enough!” and walked off. I asked, but nobody seemed to know who the
guy was. We said “screw it” and played
our last song, finishing it out as several cops showed up. The third one was in
Lexington, KY at Best Friend Bar. I guess the neighbors
at the time were not metal fans.
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you
and for your fans?
Blair: We try to
bring a high level of intensity to our live experience. I’m not much for stage banter, so we try to
rely on our musical chops to keep the crowd engaged. This usually works, but you do occasionally
get that disinterested/disengaged crowd. Controlling the energy in the room is
tricky. I think we try to use these
experiences to push us to improve our performance.
What makes a great song?
A great song is
one that makes you feel something - whether its an emotion or a compulsion to
get up and move.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
Ride the Sun was the first song Blind Scryer wrote. We
were still a 3-piece at that point. Jeff came up with that riff and we jammed
on it for a while. That was also the song we jammed with Blair that convinced
him to join the band.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
Blair: I’m personally most proud of Delta V. I feel like the song has a strong dynamic
between it’s parts. It starts out kind
of mellow and slow but builds to a really intense ending.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Blair: Uncle Acid
writes consistently great and catchy songs.
I love that they can juxtapose beautiful melodies and pop sensibilities
with dark lyrical content and heavy riffs.
Earthless consistently kicks my ass.
They’re my favorite band to see live because of the sheer virtuosity of
all the players. I’m always waiting for
Isaiah’s guitar to catch fire.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Blair: Digging through old records is one of my
favorite things to do, but anymore if I’m on the go I listen to digital. We made CDs for our debut, but hope to have
the funds to press vinyl going forward.
Jeff: I'm at the
point where it really depends on the situation and my familiarity with the
music. I start with digital or CD but usually end up getting albums I really
enjoy on vinyl. I still enjoy having physical copies.
Whiskey or beer? And
defend your choice
Blair: I love
both, but beer is my go to. I can drink
it all day and not get too drunk to function.
Jeff: I love
Bourbon but it doesn't quench my thirst like an ice cold beer during band
practice.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new
music. What's your hometown, and when we get there, what's the best record
store to lose ourselves in?
Blair: There are
no record stores in my hometown, but here in Louisville there are plenty of options. Surface Noise is a small shop with a curated
collection that really supports local art and Funhouse has a huge selection of
really cool stuff that will keep you digging for hours.
What's next for the band?
Blair: We’re really excited to have the album out
because now we can really focus on writing new music. We’re aiming to have an EPs worth of material
ready to record by the fall/winter. We
have a pretty busy summer scheduled and are looking forward to several festival
performances.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our
readers, the waveriders?
We just want to take a second to mention how excited we
are to be able to play music and share the excitement we feel with people.
There is an incredible community of inspiring and dedicated people all over the
world that have reached out to us and helped us grow. The support and
enthusiasm we've experienced is what keeps us going, and we're just getting
started.
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